Many iris recognition algorithms are in use, with Daugman's algorithm based on 2D Gabor Wavelets and the Standoff Iris Recognition algorithm (SIRM, Honeywell, Inc.) being well known. These current algorithms are designed to achieve the best performance on high quality irises. However, the algorithms do not perform as well using degraded irises. The degradations, normally in the form of blur, gaze and occlusion, severely limit the recognition capabilities of the current algorithms. Current algorithms follow a common theme that segment and convert the circular iris doughnut region to a rectangular region using a polar transformation. This transformation, acting as a simplification process, leads to loss of information. This in particular is important when the iris is subjected to degradation such as blur, gaze, and occlusion. Moreover, since current iris acquisition systems have the capability to acquire iris images from distances up to 20 meters, there is significant degradation to the quality of the captured irises at these distances.